I promised a while back to do a more comprehensive review of Parker Palmer's book, A Hidden Wholeness. There are two Quaker writers that have impacted my life. One is Robert Greenleaf, the originator of the servant-leadership message, and the other is Palmer.
The Quakers are a religious group founded by George Fox in the 17th century. Fox's central dogma was that of the inner light, communicated directly to the individual soul by Christ. They became known as Quakers because they would gather and wait on the Lord to see who had a message from Him. When they received their message, they would often shake or "quake," thus the name Quakers. For the most part, Quakers are pacifists and still exist, known in some circles as the Society of Friends.
From his Quaker influence, Palmer urges that we work to develop circles of trust with people who aren't trying to fix us, but rather support us as we embark on our journey to find and comprehend our inner truth. While discussing how he has faciliated many such circles, Palmer makes some thought provoking statements, such as:
1. "Secularism denies true self by regarding us as raw material. Moralism--the pious partner in this odd couple--achieves the same end by translating "self" into "selfishness" and insisting that we banish the word from our vocabulary. The whole problem with our society, the moralists claim, is that too many people are out for themselves at the expense of everyone else. This New Age emphasis on self-fulfillment, this constant "cult of me," is the root casue of the fragmentation of community that we see all around us. Or so the moralists argue" Palmer disagrees with this conclusion and argues that "whatever we do to care for true self is, in the long run, a gift to the world."
2. Palmer likens the true self to a wild animal, which is tough and resilient, but shy and not eager for public view. We must learn to support one another in this illusive search for meaning and purpose, careful not to "frighten off" the shy animal of inner wholeness.
3. Palmer quotes a poem by Emily Dickinson, which states,
"Tell all the Truth, but tell it slant--
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise"
He tries to make the point here that we need to help lead and guide others into an awareness of who they are and not force or confront issues head-on. I thought his emphasis on subtlety as we work with one another is an excellent point, contrasted by our tendency at times to share the whole truth whether another can bear it or not.
4. Finally, Palmer urges the reader to live with the questions, quoting Rainer Maria Rilke: "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves . . . Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer." I have been emphasizing for quite some time that quality questions lead to quality answers and a quality life. We need to learn how to hold onto our questions and not rush the answers.
There are so many other things I could quote from the book. I have to admit that Palmer's total reliance on the individual's ability to grasp the truth from within makes it seem like our conscience is infallible and the inner journey always leads to the correct path. I think Scripture teaches that the conscience or inner man is not infallible and needs to be educated. I am also not that confident that our sin doesn't more often than not taint our inner conclusions--more often than Palmer would like to admit. But for the most part, I enjoy all of Palmer's books and would recommend this one to you with enthusiasm.
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